Profil 1,0 x 1,0 mm

A square bar, a millimeter by a millimeter

A thin bar with a square section one millimeter on a side is one of the most universal stock materials in a modeling workshop. The section is large enough for the part to read as a real load-bearing element of a structure, and at the same time small enough to be used in small scales, where a heavier material would look disproportionately coarse.

Common use

It serves as struts and beams, chassis frames, railing posts, bars under the floors of cargo compartments, joists in ruins and buildings on a diorama, but also as an auxiliary stiffener that strengthens a weak joint between fuselage halves from the inside. The regular square section makes it possible to mark out perpendicular cuts and to cut repeated parts of identical length, which is useful on truss structures where the same element recurs many times.

Working and dimensions

The material is white polystyrene, so the joints are made with a solvent cement that softens the plastic on contact and creates a strong weld without a visible layer of glue. A modeling knife will handle the cutting; for larger batches a small saw is safer, because under heavy pressure the knife first compresses the bar and the cut then comes out at an angle. It is worth squaring the end with abrasive paper laid on a flat board before gluing. One piece is 35 centimeters long and is sold on its own, so for a more extensive structure it is sensible to count on several pieces at once. It is better stored lying flat on a level surface; a bar left leaning will bow in time and can no longer be straightened reliably.